The Bitter Beginning
by Sugarhorse
Summary: Jack hasn't made port in Tortuga for thirteen years. Now, coming back seems to cause more problems than staying away.


-1**The Bitter Beginning**

Chapter 1: Surprise!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, or 3.

AN: After two long years I have decided to revive my long dead Fan fiction account. Hopefully you'll enjoy this story as much as I've enjoyed thinking it up. I'm a little rusty, two years is a long time. Read and Reviews are appreciated!

_Thirteen years. . . . Thirteen long years. . . _

" Land Ho!" a call cried out. Even in the early morning light, the decks of the _Black Pearl _bustled with action. Everywhere, crew members scattered about, tying off sails and readying the ship for port, the excitement of land spotted lingering in the air. The gleaming sea slapped against the _Pearl's _rough wooden sides and salty wind blew the black sails into billows, driving the ship forward.

" Do we have orders, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs asked as he approached the wheel. Captain Jack Sparrow closed his telescope with a snap and turned from the thin crescent of land he had been surveying.

" Do you realize, Mr. Gibbs, that it has been thirteen years since I have made port in Tortuga?" Jack said.

" Aye, thirteen be an unlucky number, sir." Gibbs said nodding his head.

" Aye, unlucky indeed, that a man be kept away from the place where men feel most appreciated for so long." Sparrow said, his eyes far off on the horizon again. " Rum, wenches. . . . I've traveled the world, and never yet have I found a port quite like Tortuga."

The waves of salty sea slapped against the bow of the ship and a spray of ocean misted the crew on board. " So," Gibbs said, slightly hesitant. " Orders, Captain?"

" Yes, orders!" Jack said, resuming the wheel. " Make port in Tortuga. We deserve a rest before the next adventure, aye?"

" Aye, Captain!" Gibbs said. " How long shall we make port for, say you?"

" A week, me think. And make sure we restock on rum!"

" Yes, the rum!" Gibbs said, shuffling away.

" Yes." Jack said to himself, eyes once again on the sliver of ever growing land. " There never has been a port like Tortuga."

" Jack Sparrow!" Even at scarcely noon the pub was already in full swing and everywhere Jack turned, someone else called to him.

" My, my, Jack Sparrow!" Scarlett, a local wench, called across the crowded pub.

" Watch yourself, Gibbs." Jack said under his breath. " These women here, they're fiercer than any storm we've faced."

" I'll drink to that." Gibbs said grabbing two full mugs of rum and pressing one into Jack's hand.

" It's been a long time, hasn't it, Jack?" Giselle, another wench, said as she made her way over to the corner table where Gibbs and Jack had taken up residence.

" Ah, Giselle, yes thirteen years, I believe." Jack said, taking another swig of rum.

" Thirteen years! What ever has kept you away from home so long?" She said, leaning closer to where Jack was sitting.

" Doing what I do best. Stealing, plundering, drinking rum. But I don't think of it as being away from home. The sea is my home." Giselle surveyed him for a moment.

" You always were a roamer." She said, as she made her way back across the pub.

" A roamer indeed, Jack." said a indistinct voice behind him. Sparrow turned slowly in his seat. " It's been a long time."

" Ah, my dear Elise. Thirteen years has done you well." Jack said, a smile twitching in the corners of his mouth. Elise walked closer, her green hoopskirt touching the floor. Her caramel hair was twisted into many curls and her eyes were heavily shadowed.

" Yes, thirteen years hasn't changed you at all, has it?" She asked, pushing herself closer to him, her face mere inches away from his flesh.

" Not one bit." Jack said, his sharp eyes gleaming with lust.

"Come with me," She said softly in his ear. " I have something I want to show you."

" Anything you have to show me must be well worth the wait of thirteen years." Jack said, winking over his shoulder at Gibbs as he allowed himself to be led from the pub. Tortuga was full of wenches, but Elise had by far, been his favorite.

Instead of being led upstairs, like Jack was expecting, he was instead, led outside. The dingy streets of Tortuga were narrow and winding, lined with ramshackle houses and shops. Jack expected Elise to turn into on of the little cottages, or maybe into a dark alley, but instead she lead him to the edge of town. A few school aged children dotted the sprawling grass clearing, the ocean roaring gently in the background.

" What am I suppose to be seeing?" Jack asked, turning around in a circle.

" That." Elise said, pointing across the clearing. Jack squinted, following her finger.

" It's a girl." he said.

" Yes. She's my daughter." Elise said softly. Jack raised his hand to his face, shielding the sunlight.

" She's pretty." he said. The girl was talking to a young boy. She was dressed in a dress similar to her mothers, her dark hair knotted in a bun on her head. She was petite and dainty, a regular little lady. Put her in some classy clothes, and no one would ever guess she was the daughter of a whore.

" I'm glad you think so." Elise said. " Because she's your daughter too, and your going to take her with you when you leave port."


End file.
